Dan McCullum Design Blog

An attempt at philosophical thinking or What I've been doing, and what's around the corner

2008-06-08T21:53:00.016-04:00

Despite the fact that I tend to like writing, I've been finding lately that perhaps blogging isn't my thing. At least, not in the traditional sense. I have neither the time nor the drive to approach it "seriously" at this point in time. I'm going through a time of change in the way that I approach life, the internet, and media. I am considering switching to a more informal style of blogging for the most part (shorter posts about interesting things, probably mostly tech related), with occasional longer posts about various things. All of these changes will be in an attempt to raise the quality of the content on my site, while still fitting into the limited time I have available for it.

So, what's been going on with me lately?

Most of my time lately is taken up with my job. I've been working at a local poultry (chicken eggs, specifically) farm owned by some friends of my family. It's tough work, and often boring, but it's money in my pocket, and it's given me an opportunity to see life from a different angle. I've learned so much about people in general simply by observing my coworkers, and even the chickens.

So, here's the philosophical part. I've been working with the baby birds (one time last week, after I had been catching loose birds in one of the "grower houses", a coworker pointed out that I was getting good practice "picking up chicks") and one day a thought popped into my head. That thought became part of this post.

When we call someone a "chicken" we mean that they are easily frightened. Working with actual chickens has definitely solidified that particular definition for me. But it also has made be think that as humans, we are often like chickens when it comes to God. When I'm walking around the pullet houses (where the chicks are raised, aka "grower houses") trying to catch an escaped bird, it will be trying its hardest to get away. Even though I'm only trying to help it survive by putting it back in its cage, where it will have access to food and water, it still runs from me, screeching loudly in fear. Often the only way to catch an escaped chick is to turn off all the lights in the building and sneak up on the bird in the dark, using short bursts from a flashlight to locate it. As humans we often run away from God, even though he is only trying to give us peace and joy. We shun the life he offers without a second thought. Sometimes, he even has to "turn the lights out" on us to get us to notice him.

Well, that didn't end up being such a poignant anecdote as I had hoped, but...

As some of you may already know, I recently purchased a Nikon D40 DSLR with 18-55mm Nikkor kit lens, and a 55-200mm VR Nikkor lens. I've quickly become addicted to photography, and I rarely go anywhere without my camera bag over my shoulder. You can see the results of my efforts on my flickr.

The secondary monitor (old, beat up 15"? hp CRT) attached to my macbook started smelling like it was burning the other day, and is now completely detached from all external power sources, and awaiting a trip to the dump. Of course, now I really miss that second screen, however, I don't have much money right now, so I'm accepting donations, preferably of the LCD type.

Summer plans

I'm considering doing (yet another) major overhaul of my website with a focus on showcasing the various new things that I am doing online, rather than just focusing on web development. Or perhaps 2 sites, one for a personal site, and one for my web work.

I've got two family trips lined up for the summer. One to Massachusetts on a long weekend sometime in early-mid July for a family reunion, and a second for ~two weeks to Montana in late July/early August to visit some close friends who live out there, and perhaps visit some attractions/national parks within a few hours of their home.

I still have to figure out where to transfer to for the spring semester, after I finish all my gen-eds this coming fall.

On a completely unrelated and unimportant side note, it's unexpectedly difficult to type and use keyboard shortcuts in the dark when your keyboard is black and far enough away from the screen that you can't see anything on it. The difficulty seems mostly to be when I lift my fingers off the keys, then go back to type something. I miss typing on my Macbook keyboard, but the higher position of the screen really helps the ergonomics.

Attention to Subscribers

2008-03-27T17:46:00.003-04:00

This post is just to inform all readers that I have begun switching over my blog feed to feedburner. Please update your subscription link to http://feeds.feedburner.com/dmdzineblog.

Don't know what a feed is?

Why am I doing this? Mostly because I want to be able to track how many subscribers and viewers I have. Feel free to comment!

Linux, I Try to Love You

2008-03-21T17:30:00.003-04:00

I've seen a lot of comments here debating the legitimacy of Linux as an operating system as compared to Mac OS X and Windows. Neither of these systems is inherently a "better" system for the world, Linux is great for servers and high-end workstation computing, Windows is the platform for most business activities and gaming, and Mac is for media creation and home use.

That said, I use all three operating systems on a regular basis, and I really cannot justify not using a Mac as my main machine (I do a lot of media stuff though). Windows can really be a pain, even when you know what you are doing, but it is really the platform to use for games. And Linux... well, that's a different story.

A lot of people have mentioned that it's not the fault of Linux for having trouble with certain hardware, saying that it is the fault of device manufacturers for not providing Linux drivers. True as this may be in theory, this explanation does nothing to help the less computer-savvy part of the market that can't tell the difference between Google and the internet. They are simply going to want their computer to work. They are not going to find solace in blaming device manufacturers for their computer not working. They are not going to use a complicated string of terminal commands to enable their wireless card. They are not going to buy a machine based on how Linux compatible it is. And they sure as heck are going to be pissed off when they find that they can't run any of their applications without a crazy amount of hackery/magic/good luck. Linux is fine for those who know what they are doing, unfortunately, we are the small minority. Until either device manufacturers decide it is economically feasible to develop Linux drivers, or the Linux community makes it much easier to find the exact driver for your device and install it without a hassle, Linux will remain a tool for geeks only.

As much as I would like to see more people using Linux, there are just a few too many issues for most people to deal with right now.

Updates to the Site

2008-03-17T12:32:00.005-04:00

I just finished making some changes to the front page and about page of Dan McCullum Design. I wanted to add some more colors and imagery, and also to rewrite some of the copy to better reflect the services I am offering.

Thoughts/comments/suggestions are always welcomed.

Journey into Reading/Thoughts on Coding

2008-03-13T07:36:00.006-04:00

A while back I posted about how I was ditching Dreamweaver and doing future web design by hand coding. Well, I just passed the first real test.

Version one of Journey Into Reading (http://journeyintoreading.org) was actually my second web design job, and although I was relatively happy with the design, when it came time to add some major content to the site a week or two ago, it became clear that a visual refresh would be worthwhile.

So, after a few hours designing the layout, coming up with the styling, and structuring the site (and probably quite a bit more time spent on getting the page to work correctly in Internet Explorer) I ended up with the current design.

So, now that I've done a "real" site entirely by hand (cross-browser and cross-platform this time, unlike the coda test sites I did earlier which I didn't bother spending the time necessary to make IE-compatible), how do I feel about the switch to hand-coding?

Well, it's not a whole lot slower or faster, and it does give a feeling of confidence that your code is going to be valid and streamlined. However, there are a few things that still bug me (though some of these things may be resolved by simply learning how to use CSS a bit more effectively).

Lack of Link Management
This is probably the single most annoying thing about hand-coding. In Dreamweaver, it is very, very easy to change the location/name of files and have Dreamweaver automatically update site-wide links to that file. Coda (and every other coding program that I have found) does not have this feature, making structural changes and such a pain.

Lack of Library items/Templates
The lack of Dreamweaver-like templating is also an issue that bugs me. Adding a page to the main navigation bar, or changing the order of a sidebar link list is no longer a simple matter of editing a special template file and then updating all the pages using it.

However, I recently found an article that talks about getting similar functionality by using php includes.

Despite these issues, I'll be sticking with hand-coding for the foreseeable future, and will probably find ways to adapt to these problems.

Until next time... Au Revoir

Distraction Free - A Writeroom Review

2008-02-25T12:19:00.006-05:00

Writeroom

One of the problems of owning a Mac is that it can be easy to become distracted by all the shiny buttons and slick programs. Sometimes, there is just too much "stuff" cluttering up the screen and drawing away attention that needs to be elsewhere. Fortunately, there is a cure for this problem.

Enter Writeroom ($24.95, Mac only) from Hog Bay Software. Writeroom is a bare bones text editor with a sense of style. The secret agent-esque green text and black background lend themselves fully to the sense of coolness that envelops you when you use this program. It is definitely the best solution I have yet found for coping with the everyday distractions of having a Mac.

Writeroom 1.0 was indispensable for taking notes during class, and version 2 has taken it up a notch. With the ability to do both plain and rich text, I don't have to worry about reformatting things later on.

I'm interested in the "Edit in Writeroom" feature, which allows you to edit text from other applications in Writeroom, but unfortunately, this feature does not work in Leopard yet. However, the developer appears to be working on a solution.

There also seem to be a lot of features "in the pipes" so to speak, so I await them eagerly. Personally, I'd like to see an option to temporarily disable the internet connection while the program is open, set adium/ichat status to away, and silence all system and growl notifications.

If you have a Mac and want a "distraction free" writing tool, I highly recommend you take a look at Writeroom.

For Windows users, there is a similar program called Dark Room.

On a final note, I would like to point out that this review was done with a promise of a free license for this program; however, I have used this program (at least, I have used version 1) for quite a long time.

One small step for man...

2008-02-09T10:07:00.001-05:00

One giant leap for web design.

Well, I've done it. I've really done it. I have switched over to hand coding my websites. I plan to hand code all my future design jobs.

Why?

Dreamweaver on Mac is still very slow, even though it is now Intel-compatible. It also lacks a native interface, which is somewhat detrimental. I decided to go cold-turkey and create a tiny little test site (http://dmdzine.net/codatest) entirely with Panic's Coda, one of the nicest pieces of software I have found yet. While it is still missing a few key features (automatic link management and templates/library items), I am willing to put up with that because of the nice interface and quick workflow. I may end up using CSSEdit (which I got in the MacHeist bundle) for my stylesheets, but overall I really like Coda.

The switch from visual to code has not been as difficult as I imagined so far, though only time and a large multi-tiered website will tell.

Long time no post...

2008-01-30T15:03:00.004-05:00

Well, it's been a rather unusually long time without a post, as I really have not had the time/motivation/content for one...

Heck, even now, I am mostly writing this to note that I am still alive.

Of course, a lot has happened since my last posting... I upgraded to OS X Leopard, got a Wacom tablet, bought the MacHeist bundle, and broke my leg snowboarding... but of course, none of that is worthy of a blog post, right?

Ok, so maybe it is...

Thoughts on Leopard

Wow... I like it. Very well done, and nice in just about all the important places. Quicklook is wonderful, and really speeds things up, I just have to get used to hitting the spacebar instead of double-clicking. Coverflow in finder is a feature that I haven't really used as much as I figured, as I generally use column view these days. The new Finder interface is definitely awesome.

Time Machine, although nice in its ease of setup and use, can be annoying in some ways... The lack of preferences bugs the control-geek in me.

Spaces is cool, and quite useful, though I haven't really had much opportunity to exploit it fully as of yet.

My whole system does seem to be noticeably faster as well.

Complaints: Leopard seems to be a bit less stable with programs than Tiger; I've had a few more application crashes than before, though the system itself seems to be more stable overall. Stacks is nice for the downloads folder, but lousy for almost everything else.

I believe Wacom is pronounced "Wakkum"

So, I got a Wacom tablet recently, and I really like it. It definitely is helpful for anything visual design oriented, though it can be tricky finding a place to store the pen when you have to type something quickly.

I'll probably write more on this later...

MacHeist

As you may have already known, I participated in the very fun MacHeist over winter break, and ended up purchasing the awesome bundle. Definitely worth the price.

I don't feel like talking about my broken leg.

New additions to my portfolio

I've recently completed two more sites: http://chazymusictheatre.org and http://ncachurch.org.

The Most Awesome Little Utility

2007-12-01T20:48:00.001-05:00

http://urltea.com/2f0l?alan-hogan

This article answers one of the biggest problems I have had using Synergy to control a non-Macintosh computer: Since my MacBook is my main machine, I use it the most, and have gotten very fond of using the command key rather than the control key... Of course, when using synergy, the Apple ctrl key maps to the Windows ctrl key, even though in reality, the Command key on Mac is the brother of the Control key on Windows. So, after a long period of frustration (as the Command key by default maps to the windows Alt key), I stumbled upon the above article. I have since started using this script, and I must say that it makes things so much easier and more seamless. Hip-hip-hooray for AutoHotkey!

Windows Live Writer

2007-11-15T20:33:00.002-05:00

I must say... Windows Live Writer is not at all classic Microsoft... It's actually very usable and smooth!

Cool Mac Software

2007-11-13T09:46:00.001-05:00

One of the things that has impressed me most about using a Mac is the large amount of very high quality free and opensource programs available for the platform. Unlike with Windows, where most programs are junk, or otherwise useless, it seems that the Mac community is a lot pickier about the software they use. In celebration of what appears to be a time honored fashion, I am now going to list a few really great pieces of free software for the Mac that have been quite useful to me.

Cyberduck - Powerful FTP Client

Handbrake - DVD Ripping Tool

Max - Audio Format Conversion Tool

Bean - Simple Word Processor

Smultron - Fast Text Editor with Syntax Highlighting

Vienna - RSS Reader...Until I get Leopard Mail

Writeroom 1.0 - Distraction Free Writing, for Free. The newer versions are not free. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find version 1.

CocoaMySQL - MySQL Database Manager

Schoolhouse - Invaluable homework manager

LogMeIn

2007-11-09T10:59:00.002-05:00

I'm writing this from a desktop located somewhere on the SUNY Plattsburgh Campus using the dashboard widget on my MacBook. Confused?

Here's how: I'm using a free piece of software called LogMeIn which allows you to very easily set up remote desktop connections with either Windows or Mac computers. You can then easily access those computers via the LogMeIn website from anywhere in the world! What I like most is the speed... It's quite responsive, even over the internet. In fact, it is more responsive across the internet than my previous VNC setup was over ethernet in my room.

All in all this is a very neat piece of software that has much potential, though I wish it worked on Linux as well.

Leopard

2007-11-01T13:04:00.000-04:00

Since the release of Mac OS X Leopard--

I mean, since I got my MacBook, I've been looking forward to the release of OS X Leopard with great anticipation. Now that it's been released, I've been anxiously anticipating being able to afford a copy. Meanwhile, I've been eagerly devouring every bit of information about the new system that I can get my hands on.

So, without further ado, here is what I'm looking forward to most:

Coverflow in Finder and Quicklook. Finally, filmstrip view on the Mac. As a graphic designer, the inability to simply browse my photos and designs through the finder has been a real PITA. It is perhaps my biggest complaint about Tiger, and seems to have been more than adequately delt with. Quicklook in particular appears to have some really powerful applications.

Faster performance. Always welcomed.

True 64-Bit computing. The implications of this will probably become evident sometime next year as more developers take advantage of the enhanced performance and security of 64-bit computing. The stuff under the hood may be the most significant improvements in the entire system.

The new Mail.app looks promising, and will hopefully address my main complaints with Tiger Mail.

Spaces. Appears to be the most viable virtual desktop system for the Mac to date. Should be useful for laptop use.

Time Machine. This is more exciting to me in that it makes the Mac by far the best desktop system for any home use besides gaming. Though it has already garnered complaints from some power-users, this application seems to be more useful for the casual computer user crowd.

There are a lot of other things that make this upgrade worth it to me at this point, which I won't go into, but it has occurred to me that perhaps what excites me most about this system is the load of little things that will make my computer more useful, more powerful, and more fun.

Introducing...Nightly Builds

2007-10-30T10:03:00.001-04:00

Enough said... check out http://dmdzine.net/nightlybuilds.html for more details.

And in other news...

2007-10-23T21:48:00.000-04:00

I have also recently completed a total redesign (just the appearance, not much was done to the site structure) of The Friends of Point au Roche website. I felt that it was time for a refresher, and so I redesigned it... Tell me what you think! (Use the new comments feature! Just click on the post title, and scroll to the bottom!)

This new design happens to be the first design I've done that has been totally W3C valid XHTML and CSS!

Now the Tides Turn

2007-10-23T21:43:00.000-04:00

Not too long ago I talked about how I had just gotten a Dell Desktop and was running Windows XP on it. Well, over the last week, I took a blind leap and installed Debian Linux on it. I then installed XAMPP and VirtualBox. So, ironically, the tides have turned and it is Windows that I am running in a virtual machine on top of a Linux box.

Things have gone fairly smoothly, and I am really enjoying the many similarities in functionality between Linux and OS X, though I do miss some of the ease of use that Windows and Mac still have a bit of an edge on. But altogether, this seems much more stable, safer, and more powerful than the previous XP system.

Contact Form on dmdzine.net

2007-10-19T11:57:00.000-04:00

I've just finished implementing a contact form on Dan McCullum Design (http://dmdzine.net) that should make getting in touch with me through my website even easier than ever. It replaces a ReCaptcha mailto link, and hopefully will be a boon to both the site users and myself.

Linux. Is it Ready?

2007-10-18T22:06:00.001-04:00

With the release of Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon, the question is once again raised, "Is Linux ready for the mainstream?" For year after year that answer has been "no," much to the disappointment of the Linux faithful.

This time, however, things are different. Though I have not yet used the new system (I'm downloading it as I write this), a look at the "New Features" page showed me enough to get me excited.

It looks like Linux is finally taking a major step into the realm of mainstream desktop computing with this latest release. Though I am a die-hard Mac user, I would be willing to switch my Windows desktop entirely to Linux if I can get my Netgear USB wireless chip to work with it.

There are some real quality features in this release that seem to make it accessible to a much larger audience.

But...

I do think that, for the average user, this is not the right system...yet. Emphasis on "yet." From what I can see, by the time the next major version of Ubuntu is released, it will be ready for just about everbody. There are a few things that might keep inexperienced users (or advanced users who, like myself, just don't have enough time at the moment to work out major issues) from wanting to switch, but the latest steps towards better and easier driver integration are promising. I'll be crossing my fingers and hoping... Meanwhile, I'm Linux or Mac proselytizing to everybody I can. Keep up the good work Ubuntu team!

Introducing Reviews

2007-10-16T15:59:00.000-04:00

Well folks, there is a new page on Dan McCullum Design called Reviews. It's a beta offering that is basically "Music reviews by a musician and music producer."

I'm a bit excited about this page, and feel that it has a lot of potential, perhaps even more so if I decide to switch my site over to Wordpress (though, because of the time necessary to convert my theme, this is unlikely for at least a while).

Check it out, tell me what you think, and enjoy!

Virtualize This

2007-10-11T19:35:00.001-04:00

Virtual Box
Originally uploaded by dmdzine

I just finished setting up an Ubuntu virtual machine on my new desktop, and thought I would share with you the cool little program I did it with.
VirtualBox, provided by Innotek software, is a very cool and very free program that allows you to run virtual machines within a Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X (Intel only) environment. The program supports practically every OS supported by its expensive brethren, and has some nice little features packed in. I previously used it on my MacBook to run Windows until I got my new Dell.
Check it out... it's very cool

I love that new computer smell

2007-10-10T17:05:00.000-04:00

*Sniff* Ahhhhhhh... There's nothing quite as satisfying as that new computer smell.

I just picked up a new (for me) Dell desktop that my aunt was getting rid of, and I am jumping for joy. Although I am a Mac user to the core now, it is still important to for me to have both a Mac and a Windows PC available to me easily.

Now, the specs:

Dell Dimension 4400

1.70 GHz Pentium 4 (Fast enough for my uses. Video editing, photo processing, and music recording I do on my Mac)

1 Gb RAM (sweeeeeet!)

40 Gb Hard Drive (kind of small, but ok for what I'm doing)

Radeon 9800 XT 256 Mb (best graphics card I have ever had!)

SoundBlaster Live! (better than the integrated crap that normally comes on Windows PCs)

Windows XP (no Vista please)

I'm now using it as my testing server, replacing the aging Dell that I had previously been using.

NJ, the land of WiFi

2007-10-06T20:44:00.001-04:00

I'm visiting my grandmother in New Jersey this weekend, and just got back from a day at NYC where I went to the Natural History Museum (which incidentally is absolutely nothing like the one shown in the Ben Stiller movie, A Night in the Museum) and experienced NYC driving from the passenger's seat (which was plenty for me, I can tell you). I'm now blogging away from the upstairs bedroom of her house. Now, it is important to note that my grandmother is the farthest from technically savvy as it is possible to be (a TV is pushing the limits), so she definitely is not maintaining an open wireless network in her house. But I still have pretty good connection to at least 2 open wireless networks!

Of course, I'm being a bit more careful about entering passwords and such, but I must admit it is pretty cool!

Now, Comments

2007-10-02T22:02:00.001-04:00

You can now comment on the Dan McCullum Design Blog... Be polite!

Yay It's HERE!

2007-10-02T20:32:00.001-04:00

Yay It's HERE!
Originally uploaded by dmdzine

Got Logic Express 8 last week and have been playing around with it a bit. It is definitely a major improvement over the previous version. It's easier to use, more powerful, and more...Mac. I'll check back in when I have had more time to use it.

Setting up a Testing Server

2007-10-01T07:35:00.000-04:00

After a recent decision to learn PHP, I found myself in a predicament: It takes far too long to upload each minutely changed file to the web just to test a small change. So, I decided to set up a testing server in my studio.

I used an old Dell XPS (933MHz PIII, 128Mb RAM, 40Gb HD) as the platform, installed Windows 2000 Pro on it, and downloaded the amazing XAMPP Server-in-a-Box (Apache, PHP, MySQL). The installation went smoothly, and I was soon up and running. After installing a wireless USB dongle, I connected the computer to my home network. I then went into the XAMPP install folder and changed the share permissions of the "htdocs" folder to allow network control, which is the internet folder for XAMPP.

Next, came what appeared to be the most difficult part of the operation: connecting the MacBook to the server. My experience with connecting two Windows XP boxes to each other and getting the permissions, firewalls, and access controls to be friendly made me dread the thought of inter-OS sharing. Actually, this part ended up being the easiest part of the entire process. If Macs integrate better on a Windows network than Windows computers do, Microsoft definitely has a big problem to deal with.

After connecting the two computers via wireless router, I proceeded to download and install WordPress in a folder on the testing server. I'm planning to learn how to create WP templates, and this should be a much faster and easier way to do so...

I have not yet connected Dreamweaver to the testing server, but I plan to do that the next chance I get... I'll write more about this once I get a chance to use it a bit more.

Till then...